


a little closer

by nonopiimagines



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Dancing!, Dead Money, F/F, Ghost people, Hugging, Sierra Madre, of course veronica wears vera's dress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:15:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27890596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonopiimagines/pseuds/nonopiimagines
Summary: Veronica ventures to the Sierra Madre to reunite with Christine.my submission to the Fallout Bang on tumblr, hosted by @chaosintheavenue with art by @commonwealthcommoner!
Relationships: Christine Royce/Veronica Santangelo
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	a little closer

Christine.

A woman who stepped out of her dreams. Looking the same as she imagined her: short and sturdy and smiling. Nearly a decade had come to pass but Veronica would never, ever forget her face. She wanted to reach out, run to her, but she couldn’t. The ghost people watched her like she was their mother, a revered goddess, a holy sight amongst the vermin of the city. And Veronica was no better. 

How long had she spent imagining what their reunion would look like? She had such a strong picture in her head, only made clearer by the courier’s tales of the Sierre Madre and the miles she walked to get there. Needless to say, the ghost people were not in the picture and neither were the clouds of gas clinging to the walls of a city that never was.

Veronica could feel the tension in her body, in the way her hands gripped the window sill she knelt next to, peeking out to see her. It took her hours to get to this moment, wandering the narrow streets, looking for the fountain that the courier said would lead her to the Sierra Madre, to where Christine now resided. She had never said anything about this. She never said that Christine could walk among the ghost people undeterred. A feat that she had learned was awe-inspiring and unattainable, a thing only taught by experience alone. It was something she learned the hard way as she cowered behind walls and furniture, waiting for the uneven gait of rubber soles to pass her by, because she knew if they found her, she might not make it. That was one thing the courier made clear, the ghost people were hurt by slicing, not by punching. 

She was keenly aware of the sweat pooling around her neck and joints as she came to terms with what she had to do. The farther Christine walked down the road, the more Veronica could feel her opportunity slipping away. She would not make the same mistake she did years ago, she would not let Christine walk out of her life, not when she could do something about it. Even if it meant doing something she was scared to do. Was that not love? Doing whatever it takes to be by their side?

_Do it for her. Do it for you._ Words of power to send her forward.

A release of adrenaline flooded through her body as she pushed herself up and leaned out the window, an angel’s name on her tongue. “Christine!” She pulled back her scribe hood, wanting her to see all of her, to help the other woman remember. “Christine!”

It happened so slowly, like sand falling through an hourglass. Christine turned, grabbing her rifle out of habit, her gaze immediately picking up where her voice carried from. The ghost people nearby also turned their frightening gaze towards her, already scrambling towards the building she was in. 

“Ronnie?” It was barely loud enough to echo down the street and into Veronica’s ear, a croaky haziness to her voice that she didn’t remember. “Ronnie!” This time louder, with an urgency that displayed plainly on her face. 

“I could use a little help!” Relief swept through Veronica as she watched Christine sprint towards the door of the two-story building she was in, ripping it open before the ghost people could get a chance. They remained where they stood, unsure of what they should do when their hologram goddess came to the aid of an outsider.

Veronica could follow the clomping of her boots as she sprinted up the stairs, rounding the corner of the hallway, and there she was. Christine. A little older than she remembered, an interesting set of scars lined her face now that definitely weren’t there before, but she was still the girl she grew up with in the bunker and the woman she let walk away.

Veronica never felt anything like this before. Such an intense feeling of relief, at finding Christine alive and hoping that maybe they could start again mixed with doubt and fear that she was wrong, that they were different people now, and staying separated would be for the best. The emotions stayed there at the back of her throat, wanting to be released, to cry and smile and ask Christine so many questions but she settled on pulling her into a hug instead. She felt her flinch at the contact and Veronica tried to pull away to remedy the situation but Christine held her there after a moment, her chin on her shoulder, her cheek pressed to her cheek.

“What are you doing here?” she asked finally, pulling away to look at Veronica again, her eyes sweeping up and down, looking for signs of injury.

Veronica felt her cheeks hear, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “I’m here to see you.” It didn’t feel like the grandiose expression of love she had been imagining on the long journey here, but she was getting used to the fact that the world didn’t quite work the way her mind painted it. “But here specifically? I’m hiding from the ghost people. They aren’t really as friendly as the brochures made them out to be.”

Christine smiled and shook her head, “No, they’re not.” She took one last long look at Veronica before turning and beckoning her towards the stairs. “The ghost people won’t bother you if I’m with you. I’ll take us somewhere safe.”

\---

"This is home, huh?"

"I wouldn't call it home. But it's not a prison either."

Christine lay tentatively next to her on the giant bed, surrounded by a giant room, inside a giant hotel. The Sierra Madre. Veronica felt smaller than she ever had, suddenly unsure of her place next to Christine. Why was she here? Did she come here expecting to rescue Christine from a solitary life amongst a forgotten era? Did she come here expecting Christine to return to the Mojave with her?

She swallowed her questions. It didn’t matter. She was with Christine now and whatever happened, happened. After all they’d been through, after what Christine had told her on the way back to the Sierra Madre, they were lucky to be here, they were lucky to be reunited. 

“So no one bothers you here?” she continued, pushing her anxious thoughts away.

“I make sure no one bothers this place. After following Elijah here, there’s too much at stake to leave it unprotected.” Christine turned her head to look at her, the scars lining her face crinkled in concern. “You look tired. You can rest and we can talk more later.”

Veronica nodded, her arm sliding across the gap between them to squeeze the other woman’s hand. “Okay.”

So Veronica closed her eyes, feeling the softness of the bed beneath her and the warmth of Christine's hand in hers. Fear and vigilance had exhausted her. But it was the minute and tenuous feeling of safety that helped her to fall into sleep.

\---

She awoke to darkness. It shouldn't have scared her like it did but maybe being topside for so long scarred her, changed her, altered her. She stayed still for as long as she could possibly manage, slowly watching the pieces of furniture come into view, the slight glow from the windows illuminating what little they could, leaving Veronica to invent the rest. 

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Something Arcade had taught her when the world would start closing in on her. Things were always a little harder after HELIOS One.

Slowly her heartbeat settled, her jaw still clamped shut but she could feel the tension and start to let it go. Breathe in, breathe out. One problem at a time. 

She was with Christine. That she could definitely recall in all its vivid detail. She brought her here, so confident and sure. "Sit down, Ronnie." "Drink some water, Ronnie." "You can rest now, Ronnie." _Ronnie._ So she did as she was told. Veronica sat, she sipped, and she dozed until she fell into a deep abyss of sleep. 

But now she was awake and alone and when her blood stopped rushing through her ears, she could hear the faint sound of music. 

"Christine?" Her voice was so petite against the darkness.

No answer.

Nothing moved her body and soul like Christine did, her desire to find her again was overwhelming. She couldn't be far, this was her room, her things, her life. 

So she crawled out of the bed and tiptoed into the living room area. The double doors were ajar, the windows were filled with a midnight sky, occasionally pierced with an unending spotlight, bathing the room in a soft glow for only a moment but it was all Veronica needed to see the letter sitting atop a black dress with red accents. 

She couldn't remember ever seeing something so pretty before. So feminine. So perfect for her, it made her giddy. She picked it up and held it close to her figure, watching how it fell, wondering if it would fit. Wondering if Christine would think she was pretty too, as pretty as this dress. 

She turned her attention to the later, maybe it would help her find Christine in this labyrinth of a building. She unfolded the paper revealing the insignia of the Sierra Madre declared boldly at the top and beneath it was Christine's pointed handwriting: _meet me in the lobby. follow the music to the elevators, ground floor. wear the dress._

\---

Veronica wasn't particularly fond of elevators and this one was no exception. It felt like years passed as she waited for floors to pass her by to reach the cold, hard ground. It gave her too much time to think, to look down at herself in the extravagant black dress, to smooth it out and wonder if she looked okay, to run her hand through her hair in an attempt to keep it set in some sort of style. Her feet felt pinched in the matching black heels, different from the kitten heels from a bygone era she had tried on before. But god damn if she didn't feel like a princess.

And as she shifted her weight from foot to foot, the elevator dinged to signal her arrival. She stepped out, her attire giving her the power and confidence she needed, ready to meet Christine, ready to behold her in her vision, and be with her.

Christine was there ready and waiting at the bottom of the lobby staircase, wearing a set of crisp pants and a white buttoned shirt, a shy smile on her face. "Ronnie, you're awake."

"Am I?" She laughed, butterflies filling her stomach as she watched the other woman walk up the steps to approach her, her hand outstretched. "This is too good to be true."

"Don't we deserve a little fun?" Christine's eyes sparkled, taking Veronica's hand and gently leading her down the steps. 

She was overwhelmed, constantly torn between watching her wobbly feet as she descended the stairs or watching Christine and memorizing her eyes, her mouth, her nose, her skin because it had been so long and they were both so different now, but this still felt like coming home. "Oh, we deserve it."

“You look beautiful, Ronnie.” 

It had been so long since someone had said that to her. People called her pretty and cute all the time, but it was different coming from someone she had loved and maybe, probably still loved. Veronica couldn’t help but let out a giggle, a big smile still plastered to her face. “Thanks. You’re not too bad-looking yourself.” Before she knew it, they were standing close together at the bottom of the staircase, Christine still had her hand tucked neatly into hers, fitting into each other like puzzle pieces.

“You better tell your girlfriend to watch out,” Veronica continued, pulling the other woman with her toward the open floor. “Because I’ve still got eyes for you.” She turned and moved her free hand to Christine’s waist, pulling her close. 

“Vera?” Christine rolled her eyes but played along anyway, a fondness to her tone. “She’s just my roommate. I’m all yours.”

She missed this. The talking, the teasing, the flirting, how easy it was to just be herself with Christine. Perhaps this wasn’t the reunion she imagined, but the real thing was better than anything she could dream up. But there was still one thing left that she wanted to do. “Can we dance now?”

“Of course.” Christine smiled, as if it was a silly question. “All of this was so we could dance.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @nonopiimagines


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